Reactive Blood Pressure is way too high; increase in med?

I started on .25 lisinopril and 25mg metoprolol for years and it kept my BP in normal range. Then it began to take my heart rate down to 52 or lower so the cardiologist removed the metoprolol. I had previously tried other BP meds but don't tolerate most meds very well and had side effects. I don't know why he thought my BP would magically stay the same without the metoprolol. This guy is now a *star* at the teaching hospital here in NY State and a very nice guy but he's not giving me sufficient attention. He treats me like I'm 25 years old but I just turned 78. I"ve had echocardiograms, doppler, nuclear stress test, etc. but I'm still 78 and haven't even had an EKG since 2020. He said my BP is "reactive" and I said well it's still NOT GOOD so he then raised the lisinopril to 5mg and it seemed to help.

But then, my BP began to rise, especially at the PCP's office where it was in the 160s over 80. She kept telling me she was worried I'd have a stroke, really STUPID thing to say and I don't really like her or consider her competent (she's a nurse practitioner, this is a very busy practice, mid Hudson Valley NY is not the place to find good doctors). So what do you think happened every time she took my BP? YOU GOT IT. I contacted the cardiologist and he increased my lisinopril to 7.5 mg a day.

I'm now 78 but in great health overall even though I have normal aging stuff going on, like dry eye, loss of hearing and god knows what else. My BP began creeping up, I take it at night when I'm sitting in bed watching TV and first thing when I wake up, before I even get out of bed. It has consistently been going up. Admittedly, the first reading is the highest but sometimes it comes down to levels it's still too high. I changed cardiologists to one nearer to where I live and had to wait months for an appointment. The only thing he said was he wanted to keep an eye on my right carotid (I just had a repeat scan at that hospital where his office is, so he's got all the imaging I get done there). Right now, not an issue, but he wants to watch it. Meanwhile, he said the same thing: my blood pressure is reactive. but lately, I've had spikes as high as 200/105 and 180/990. I don't know about you, but that makes me nervous and I'm thinking this is not how I want to walk around.

So I increased my lisinopril to 10mg 3 ays ago. So far, the morning and night readings are lower, not super low, just lower and OK. The problem is, this med takes a few weeks to settle in so I'm concerned it's going to go too low. I haven't been taking my BP in the middle of the day since the super high readings freaked me out. I did call the EMTs when it went to 200/105 but they said it was reactive and not a hypertensive crisis, but suggested I take another BP pill and a xanax.

So right now, day 3, morning reading spiked first one and then went to 118/77. I still took the extra dose. I'm going to start taking it mid day now to see wht it's doing and watch it carefully. If it goes too low, I'll cut back. Advice? Suggestions? everyone dies, I'm no exception, I don't intend to do it on the floor paralyzed from a stroke because no way will I ever go into any nursing home so I'd just lie here and die.